Universal golf club



Nov. 29, 1960 R. D. BRouwl-:R

UNIVERSAL GOLF CLUB 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 28. 1956 INVENTOR. v A 'RoDaER D. RouwER FITTORNEY Nov. 29, 1960 R. D. BROUWER 2,962,286

UNIVERSAL GOLF CLUB Filed Nov. 28. 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 57 ZINVENTOR. RODGER D, BROUWER FIT ToRNEY lF-E.' L ANGLE oF L|E Nov. 29, 1960 R. D. BRouwER 2,962,286

UNIVERSAL GOLF CLUB Filed Nov. 28. 1956 E 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 CENTER LINE RQTATION AXIS OF CLUB HEAD D ANGLE oF LoFT /4 'k QUADRANTS G TRUE ANGLE BETWEEN Ams oF ROTHTION AND PLANE 0F CLUB FACE A= ANGLE BETWEEN cLuB soLE LINE AND THE PRoJEcTmN oF Axls oF RoTATloN oN PLANE oF cLuB FAcE.

B=ANG-LE BETWEEN THE SHAFT CENTER LINE AND A PERPENDICULAR To THE Axls oF RoTATloN.

INVENToR; Ro D GER D, BRouwER ATTORNEY ited States My invention relates to golf clubs, and is directed particul'arlyl toa golf club having a uniquely shaped head which isy adjustable with respect to its shaft in' such a manner as tov selectively simulatey all the various clubs customarily used in the game of golf.`

It isthe principal object of my invention toprovide a universal gol'fclubY of the above nature wherein the head will function in'v alldepartments ofthe-game, vizi, driver, brassie; spoon; l, 2, 3'; 4, 5; 6; 7, 8` and9l irons; and putter, in each instance having the same correct angle of lie` and angle of` loft as' its counterpart in a standard'setA of clubs;

Another object of' my invention is* to provide' a universal': golf club`ofZ the' character described', whereinthe adjustable head is provided with a plurality of striking faces, one of which acts as the driver, brassie and spoon' face; another of which serves as the striking face for all iron positions; and the; third' of which servesjfr. putting;

and wherein, for all club settings, ther clubwill: have proper dynamic proportions so th'atfor all`vv shots, the center of mass of the head will be substantially directly behindl the ball;v

The improved'club'head willnot'only simulate a standard woodf club, iron; and. putter, but wll also produce substantially.- the. same results;A as; said standard clubs. Thus ay player may,l obtain powerful long: wood shots, excellent iron shots, and accurate putter strokes.

It is still another object of my invention to provide a universal club of the character described, wherein the club and shaft are adjustably interconnected? by means of a diagonally splitsleeve disposed in a bore within the'v club head, andl including manuallyactuatable meansinterconnecting the sleeve and the' club shaft and operable to expand said sleeve in the club bore for locking the clubhead? in various adjusted positions with respectl to the shaft.

A fur-ther object oi'my invention is to improve the construction of adjustable. golf clubs as now made and to facilitate the operation of` adjustment thereof.

Other objects andi structural' detailsv of my invention will be apparent' from thel following descriptionwhen read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings form`ng part of this application, wherein:

Fig. 1 is arfrontview of the improvedv universal golf club shown adjusted to spoon? position;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same, taken along the line 2 2.y of Fig. l, in the direction of the arrows', with the setting ind'cator inthe same spoon position.

Fig; 3l is a bottom view of the same, taken along the line 3 -3 of Fig. 1 in the direction of the arrows, show ing the club head' with the indicating pointer in spoon posit'on;

Fig. 4 is a bottom View of the same with the iron face adjusted to number 9" or mashe position;

Fig. 5 is a rear view of'Y the same;

Fig. 6 is a longitudinalA cross-sectional' view through the club head inthe spoon'position, shown in Figs. 1

through 3;

i ent" Fig. 7 is a top view of the club head with the setting indicator in spoon position, showing in dotted lines the angle U between the driver face and the center line YY of the central club head element; and also the angle Q through which the axis XX of the lockV bolt moves while the head passes from drfver to ironV positions so that said center line YY of the club head element generatesv a cone of revolutiony about saidV axis XX.

Fig; 8-l is a detail side view of the locking sleeve` and: bolt attached to the adaptor shank;

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view similar to Fig. 6, of'a modified formof-lockingV device adapted to be attached to the club head, and employing a tightening nut formed with a handle integral therewith;

Fig. 10 is a sim'lar cross-sectional view of another modified form of locking device-attached tothe club head and employing a handle and cam for engaging the end/ofthe locking bolt;

Fig. 11 is a rear view'of the same;

Fig. 12 is a detail rear view, taken along the broken line 12--12of Fig. l0, in the direction of' the arrows, showing theV slotted sleeve andr theindicating pointer on the endof the shaftshank;

Fig. 13 is a crosssectional view similar to Figs. 6, 9, and 10 of another modified universal clubA head having a lock-'ng set screw in an annular groove at the end` of the lock bolt for preventing said bolt from being pulled out of said head;

Fig. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating the various relationships between the angle of loft, the angle of lie, andthe axis of rotation of the club head relative to the shaft.

Referring now-to the'drawings, wherein like'reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral 10 indicates the club shaft (only partially shown), whichv preferably is of telescoping tubular construction so. as to be collapsible for easyL carrying and storage when the club is not in use. The lower end of. the. shaft 10 is secured in a tubular adaptor shank 11 which has a flattened and slightly bent lower end portion 13 terminatingV inV a setting pointer 12.

Adjustably secured against the end portion 13 is a selectively adjustable club head 14 having a wood club faceA 15;V aniron clubface 16;'and`a` putter face 17 having an inclined section 18.

Prov'sion isalso made of an interior lock bolt-19-having an integral enlarged head 20 at its inner end, andaremovable cap nut 21 at its threaded outer end 22.

Welded to the lower end portion 13 of the adaptor, shank 11' is asleeve 23` comprising a diagonally cut tube having inclined abutting cam faces 25 and 26 (see Fig. 8'), said tube'23 beingv surrounded by an outer' sleeve 24 rigdly secured within the head 14.

An adaptor collar 2'7- is tightly mounted upon the shank of the bolt 19 in engagement with the head 2li; on theinner end of said bolt. A shoulder 27a on the collar 27"v abuts the inner end of the tube 23, and a reduced portion of said collar tightly tits within said tube. The lock bolt 19 extends through the collar 27 and the sleeves 23 and 24, and passes out through an opening in the endV portion 13 of the tubular adaptor shank 11.

The innerv portion of the club head 14 is provided with an inclined bore 28 which is press-iitted about the sleeve 24 (see Fig. 6). The lock bolt 19 andthe sleeve 23 tit within the outer sleeve 24, and said bolt is longitudinally movable therein for locking the head 14 in ad-y justable pos'tion relative to the club shaft. y

A box wrench 29 (illustrated in broken` lines in Fig. 6) may be used for screwing on the cap nut 21, whereby against each other for locking them within. the sleeve 24",

thus securing the head 14 in adjusted position with respect to the shaft 10.

In order that the head 14 may readily be set into selected position for simulating the particular club desired, the head faces 15, 16 and 17 are provided with groups of MP7,; 66s,?? 6B79 66D77; 61,57 53,3 55,7 7, 9; respectively; which marks may be selectively aligned with the indicating pointer 12. Thus, when the head is set in S position as indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the club simulates an ordinary spoon or a number 3 wood. Moreover, if a number 6 iron is desired, for example, the head will be set so that the pointer 12 is midway between the and 7 iron index marks on the club face 17.

As clearly shown in the diagram of Fig. 14 of the drawing,

D represents the angle of loft,

L represents the angle of lie,

A represents the angle between the club head sole line and the projection of the axis of rotation of the club head on the plane of the club face, Y

G represents the true angle between the axis of rotation of the club head 14 and face thereof, and,

B represents the angle between the shaft center line and a perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the club head.

It has been found by research and calculation that the following three mathematical formulae hold true for the angles A, B and G as defined above:

4 T hird form Figs. 10, 11 and 12 illustrate another embodiment of my invention, wherein a cam-actuated lock bolt S0 is used for holding the club head in adjusted position. In this embodiment, the bolt 50 has an enlarged and attened rear end portion 51 and an inner threaded end S2. Screwed on the end 52.is.an elastic stop nut 53 having a central bre core 54.

Provision is also made of a cam handle 55, having an upper concave portion which embraces the adaptorshank 11 when in locking position, and a lower bifurcated end forming a pair of spaced side portions 56 and 57 which fit over the flattened outer end 510i `the bolt 50 and are linked thereto by means of a pin 58.

The end of the stop nut S3 bears against the adaptor collar 27 fitted within the diagonally-cut sleeve 23. The sleeve 60 has its outer end rigidly secured to the curved end portion 13 vof the adaptor shank 11, as by welding. As can best be seen in Fig. 12, the sleeve 60, as well as the shank end portion 13, are provided with rectangular openings through which Vthe attened rear end portion 51 of the bolt 50 may slide.

The side portions 56 and 57 are shaped to provide rounded cam edges 59 which engage against the end of the sleeve 60 and force the bolt 50 to the right when the handle 55 is moved to its uppermost locking position.

It will be understood that the elastic stop nut 53 will be so adjusted when the lock bolt 50 is removed from the club head 14 that when the handle 55 is in the locked position shown in Fig. 10, the sliding cam edges of the FORMULA #1 Tan A= sin L0 sin D0 (cos L1-cos L2)-sin L, sin D2 (cos LU-cos LzH-sin L2 sin D2 (cos L2-cos L2) sin L0 sin Du (sin L2 cos Dl-sin L2 cos D2) sin L, sin D1 (sin L0 cos Do-sin L2 cos D2) (sin L2 cos DU-sin L1 eos D2) sin A (cos Lo-cos L1) eos A Tan G= s1n L1 sin D1-s1n L0 sin D0 (for optimum results, the angle G is about 12.2 degrecs) FORMULA #3 sin B=cos Gicos L cos A-sin L (sin D tan G-l-cos D sin A)] The optimum value of the angle B is about 28 degrecs.

Second form Fig. 9 illustrates a modification of the invention wherein, instead of the lock bolt 19, a cylindrical lock bolt`41 having an inner end slot 42 and a left hand threaded outer end 43, is provided, for securing the head in adjusted position.

Provision is also made of a handle having an offset, integral internally-threaded cap nut 44 screwed upon the end 43 oi the bolt 41, for manually tightening the club head in its selected adjusted positions. The slotted bolt 41 when removed from club head 14 may readily be adjusted by a screw driver7 or even a coin, so that when the club head 14 is secured in position on the shaft 10, the end of the handle 45 will extend upwardly into align-A ment with the adjacentshaft 11D and shank 11. YOne advantage of this form of the invention is that it is not necessary to carry a separate wrench for locking the club head in adjusted positions.

-l-sin L2 sin D2 (sin L0 cos Do-sin L1 cos D1) cooperative sleeves 23 and 60 will be sufficiently actuated to lock the head in playing position. The elastic stop nut 53 allows easy adjustment, as may be required from time to time to overcome wearing of the locking parts.

2 This modification of the invention also has the advantage of not requiring separate tools.

Fourth form Fig. I3 illustrates still another form of the invention,

. similar to the first embodiment shown in Figs. 1 6, but

in Fig. 13, the bolt 26 has an annular recess 70 in its head 71, within which extends a reduced pin 72 of a slotted set screw 73 fitting in a tapped hole 74 in the adjacent face 75 of the club head 14. The reduced pin 72 on the set screw positively prevents accidental separation of the clubhead 14 from the` shank 11.'

Operation I 16 and 17, respectively, are substantially parallel to the center line YY or axis of the club head 14 (see Figs. 1 and 7). The wood club face 15 is preferably slightly convex and forms a small angle U with the center line YY, as can be seen in Fig. 7, for the purpose of minimizing slicing and compensating for the torsional twist of the shaft at the time of ball impact.

' When the cap nut 21 is turnedby the box wrench 29, the wedge faces 25 and 26 of the split tube 23 will spread apart and frictionally engage the outer shell 24 to firmly lock the club head in adjusted position.

v As shown in Figs. 1 and 6, the bore 28'within which the locking-mechanism' operates has an axis XX dening an angle A with the center line YY of the club head 14. Thus ,as the club head is turned about the axis XX, the club head center line'YY generates a cone of revolution about said XX axis.

Sincetheucente'r line H'H of the club shaft' 10 is not perpendicular to. the cone axisvXX, but is located at an angle exceeding 90 degrees (Fig. l), the cone of revolution will not remain inone position asthe club head 14 pivots about theaxis Instead, the cone'of revolution moves about t-he clubshaft axis: HH through the angle Q (Fig. 71). This-bringsthe-required playing-*face into proper position for the correct line of ballight.

By the proper choice of theV proportions ofthe club Tan A= head 14 and ofthe angles and'E', which approximates angle G, substantially as illustrated, it will be understood that upon revolving said club head about the axis XX, the club faces 15, 16, 17 will go through driver, brassie, spoon positions; all iron positions; and the putter position; while at the same time automatically effecting the proper loft and lie angles for any selected club.

Moreover, the club structure is such that the proper dynamic weight proportions are accomplished for all clubs, i.e., for the heaviest blows with the wood club face, the greatest mass of the club head will be directly behind the ball. This results in a universal powerful long driving club having all the advantages of a full set of conventional golf clubs.

While I have described several preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that this disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only, and that various omissions or changes in the shape, proportion and arrangement of parts, as Well as the substitution of other equivalent elements for those herein shown and described, may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent is:

l. A universal golf club comprising a head having a plurality of ball-striking faces for simulating a plurality of conventional club heads, said faces lying in planes substantially parallel to the longitudinal center line of said head, adjustable means for securing the lower end of the club shaft to the rear end of said head, said head having an axis of rotation inclined with respect to said center line, the relation of said axis to said center line being such that said center line passes -through a cone of revolution about said axis as said head is rotated for adjustment, the magnitude and location of the angle between said axis and each of said striking faces being such that as said head and said center line generate the cone of revolution, each striking face in turn will pass through the correct corresponding angle of lie and angle of loft for the selected conventional club head being simulated, and means for adjustably securing said club head in any desired selected angular position to obtain the correct angle of lie and angle of loft for the conventional club head being simulated.

2. A universal golf club comprising a head having a plurality of ball striking faces for simulating a plurality of conventional club heads, said striking faces lying in planes substantially parallel to the longitudinal center line of said head, adjustable means for securing the lower end of the club shaft to the rear end of said head, said head having a bore, the axis of which is inclined with respect to said center line, the relation of said bore to said center line being such that said center line passes through a cone of revolution about the axis of said bore, the magnitude and location of the angle of said bore with respect to each of the striking faces of said club head being such that as said head generates a cone of revolution about said axis, each striking face will pass through the correct corresponding angle of lie and angle of loft for the selected conventional club being simulated,

and meansf Within-*said bore foradjstably securing said club headin* any desired selected angular positionA to obtai'nthe corre'ctangle of lie` and? angle of loft'forthe club head being simulated;

3'. The invention as defined in claim 1j in-which the angle between the club head solefline and'` the projection ofthe axis of rotation ofsaidf'club head-'on the planefof ther chosen club-` face' is designated by A, and is expressed by" the formula:

+sinv-L1Hsin D2;y (sin-.L11 eos D11-sin L1 eos D1) whe/re the angles of l'ie L0, L1, and'L2 and loft D1, D1, and D2 are corresponding successive values taken from a standard set of conventional golf clubs.

4. The invention as defined in claim 1, where G which is the angle between the axis of rotation of said club head and the plane of the chosen club head face is expressed by =the formula:

(sin L1, eos Doe-sin L1 cos D1) sin A (cos L11-cos L1) cos A sin L1 sin D1-sin L0 sin D0 in which the angles of lie L0 and L1 and angles of loft D0 and D1, are corresponding successive values taken respectively from a standard set of conventional golf clubs.

5. The invention as defined in claim 1, in which the angle between the shaft center line and a perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said club head is designated by B and is expressed by the formula:

Sin B=cos G [cos L cos A-sin L (sin D Tan G-l-cos D sin A)] where A is the angle between the club head sole line and the projection of the club head axis of rotation on the plane of the chosen club face, where G is the angle between the axis of rotation of said club head and the plane of said chosen club head face, and where the angle of lie L and the angle of loft D are corresponding values taken from a standard set of conventional golf clubs.

6. A universal golf club as defined in claim l, comprising a head having a Wood simulating face, an iron simulating face and a putter simulating face, said faces being substantially parallel with a longitudinal center line of said club head, an upstanding shaft, adjustable means for interconnecting the rear of said club head with the lower end of said shaft to permit selective twisting of said head with respect to said shaft, said interconnecting means comprising a cylindrical bore in said club head, the axis of which is angularly related to said central longitudinal center line, a split sleeve cam adjustable fitted in said bore, and a locking bolt extending through said split sleeve cam for forcing the sections of said split sleeve cam against said bore to lock said head in adjusted position.

7. The invention as defined in claim 6, wherein said bolt is locked by a nut at the outer side of said shaft.

8. A universal golf club -as defined in claim 7, wherein said nut has a lever connected thereto and swingable against said shaft, said lever having cam means operaw tive to force the sections of said split sleeve cam into locking engagement with the bore when said lever is moved into alignment with said shaft.

9. A universal golf club as defined in claim 7, wherein said nut has a laterally-extending lever integral therewith and swingable into alignment with said shaft.

10. A universal golf club as defined in claim 6, wherein the lower end of said shaft is provided with a pointer, and wherein said head is provided with indicia markings cooperative with said pointer to allow easy setting of said club head with respect to said shaft to selectively indicate the particular golf club of a conventional standard set being simulated.

Tan G= j -11. A universal golf club as defined in claim '1,V comprising a head` havingl a plurality of ball-striking faces lying in'plane substantially parallel with a longitudinal center line of said head, said head having a bore located on -an axis `'inclined with respect tosaid center line, a bolt in said bore, means Vto adjust the angles of loft "and lie of said club head, means to lock such bolt in adjusted position in said bore, said club head being provided with indicia which may beV brought'into register with a pointer on the lower end of said club shaft to indicate the adjustment of said head.

12. The invention as defined in claim 1, in which said club head is provided with faces corresponding to a set of conventionalr wooden clubs, iron clubs and putter.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Rolfe July 11, 1916 Perkins Aug. 3, 1926 Perkins Nov. 2, 1926 Wilson Mar. 8, 1927 Linden Sept. 18, 1934 Wettlaufer Jan. 12, 1937 Fuller Oct. 8, 1940 Nilson Sept. 4, 1945 Brouwer July 26, 1949 Chamberlain Jan. 24, 1950 Verderber Nov. 27, 1951 

